The invention relates to a brush attachment for a hand-held hot air device for hair styling, for example a hair dryer, in particular such comprising a brush section with several bristle configurations disposed on a bristle holder axially rotatable relative to an outer housing part, comprising further a device for actuating the bristle holder to retract or advance the bristle configurations as well as a coupling section with means for attaching the brush attachment on a hand-held hot air device.
Such brush attachments are conventionally developed as round brushes with the bristles being disposed as a bristle configuration in individual bristle rows and supported in a bristle holder disposed so as to be rotatable relative to an outer tube serving as an outer housing part. An actuation device is kinematically connected with the bristle holder such that the actuation of the actuation element results in a rotational movement of the bristle holder, such that the bristles in their one position are retracted into the outer tube. Round brushes with retractable bristles or bristle configurations are employed in order to first form a curl and subsequently to be able to release the still warm curl to increase the resiliency.
In such a prior known round brush at the top of the brush attachment as the actuation device a pressure mechanism can be provided, which is disposed axially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the bristle holder. With the actuation element of this actuation device a translational movement relative to the rotational axis of the bristle holder is exerted for the purpose of retracting the bristles, which translational movement is converted via a threaded driver into a rotational movement of the bristle holder. Further round brushes with retractable bristles have become known, at the tip of which a rotation mechanism is disposed such that by rotation of the front tip of the brush attachment, the bristles can be retracted or exposed.
Such a brush attachment comprises at its end opposing the actuation device, a coupling section with suitable means for attaching the same on a hand-held hot air device, which connection means can be implemented, for example, in the manner of a bayonet connection. The interior of the brush attachment is formed such that the hot air stream blown out by the hand-held hot air device can be blown into the brush attachment and out through circumferentially disposed openings.
Of disadvantage in these prior known brush attachments is that a hand-held hot air device equipped with such a brush attachment as a so-called hair curler can only be operated using both hands. With the one hand, the hand-held hot air device must be held and operated; with the other hand the brush attachment must be actuated if the bristle configuration is to be retracted for releasing a curl.
Building on this discussed prior art, the invention is therefore based on the task of further developing a brush attachment according to the species discussed above, for a hand-held hot air device such that a hand-held hot air device equipped with such a brush attachment can be operated single-handedly.
This task is solved according to the invention thereby that the actuation device is disposed in the proximity of the coupling section of the brush attachment and that the actuation device has available an actuation element movable radially toward the rotational axis of the bristle holder which engages a coupling piece engaging the bristle holder for the purpose of transmitting the movement, directly radially toward the rotation axis of the bristle holder, of the actuation element onto the rotatable bristle holder.
The brush attachment according to the invention provides that the actuation device is provided in the proximity of the coupling section of the brush attachment and thus immediately in the proximity of the hand-held hot air device. The actuation device is therefore readily graspable and operatable with that hand with which the hand-held hot air device is being held. The actuation device itself is developed such that it comprises an actuation element movable radially toward the rotation axis of the bristle holder, which engages a coupling piece engaging the bristle holder for transmitting the movement, directed radially toward the rotation axis of the bristle holder, onto the rotatable bristle holder. Due to this implementation of the actuation element, actuation of the bristle holder for retracting and advancing the bristles can take place through a pressure movement, for example executed with the thumb against the housing, which is already being grasped in any event, of the hand-held hot air device. It is therein provided that the pressure actuation usefully takes place against the force of a spring element such that resetting the actuation device into the starting position, in which the bristles are exposed, occurs automatically.
A useful implementation of the invention provides that the coupling device of the actuation device is a lever disposed transversely to the direction of actuation of the actuation element as well as transversely to the rotation axis of the bristle holder. This lever is pivotably supported at the housing side and can be developed, for example, as a single-arm or also as a double-arm lever. Through this lever takes place a conversion of the actuation movement provided radially toward the rotation axis of the bristle holder into a rotational movement of the bristle holder. In order to implement the lever effect of the lever arm favorably, it is useful to dispose it eccentrically with respect to the rotation axis of the bristle holder since in this way the available cross section of the brush attachment in the proximity of its coupling can be utilized to the greatest extent.
The development is useful of a single-arm lever of the coupling piece, the one end of which is supported stationarily with respect to the rotational movement of the bristle holder, and whose free and movable other end engages the bristle holder, wherein the actuation element, with the actuation element engaging the lever between these two lever ends. The determination of the point of engagement of the actuation device on the lever depends on the desired magnitude of movement of the actuation device and the provided actuation pressure for exerting a bristle retraction.
The brush attachment according to the invention can be developed such that the actuation element must be actuated directly at the user side or that it is developed as a slider which is actuatable through a lever articulated on the housing of the brush attachment.